Tag: Raw Material Prices

Steelmaking raw material prices strengthened for all but one product in October, a change in pace compared to recent months, according to SMU’s latest analysis.

Steelmaking raw material prices have moved in differing directions across August, a change of pace from the declines seen in June and July, according to SMU’s latest analysis.

Nucor has raised its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $675 per short ton (st), up $25/st from last week.

Both iron ore and coking coal prices fell this week because of resistance from buyers. Iron ore prices have continued to fall throughout the past week, following sharp declines in steel prices in China, given no new policy announcement from the ‘Third Plenum’ meeting.

The majority of steelmaking raw material prices declined in June, following the same trend seen in May, according to SMU’s latest analysis.

Steelmaking raw material prices have generally declined over the past month according to SMU’s latest analysis.

The conventional wisdom is that sheet prices will trend down for the next few weeks (maybe the next two months) before rising again in August – around when lead times stretch into the busier fall months. We see that reflected in our survey results and in market chatter. And there are plenty of data points to choose from if you want to support of that position.

Hot-rolled coil prices are known for their volatility. There are a variety of hedging strategies industry players have used to manage it, one of them being the use of HRC futures. However, some have been hesitant to dip in their toe, and their money, in futures and have preferred other approaches.

Steelmaking raw material prices have moved in different directions over the past month, according to SMU’s latest analysis.

Steel prices trickled lower across the month of April for both sheet and plate products.

Prices of steelmaking raw materials have moved in different directions over the last 30 days, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis.

Steel prices continued to ease lower in early March – a trend seen since mid-January –  before showing signs of bottoming and inflecting up. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products shifted from lower to neutral mid-way through the month after Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs, and ArcelorMittal all targeted new base minimums between $825-840 per short […]

Prices of most steelmaking raw materials have moved lower over the last 30 days, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis.

Steel prices continued to ease lower throughout February, following a loss of upwards momentum in the middle of January.

Steel prices stabilized in early January before they began to inflect lower midway through last month. Tags peaked at $1,045 per short ton (st) during the first week of January, even as some mills tried to push prices higher, to no avail. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended January at an average of $1,000/st, declining by $45/st during the month.

What are folks in the steel industry talking about? SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects this past week, including domestic steel prices, import offers, buying activity, and more. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words.

Turkish scrap import prices increased last week with CRU’s assessment for HMS1/2 80:20 at $423 per metric ton (t) CFR, up by $7/t week over week (w/w) but down $2/t month over month (m/m). This was driven by a pickup in buying activity.

Steel prices continued to move higher last month on the back of repeated mill price increases after tags reached a 2023 low of $645 per ton in late September. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended December at an average of $1,035 per ton ($51.75 per cwt), rising by $112 per ton during the month.

SMU’s Community Chat on Wednesday, Dec. 13, featured Bank of America SVP Ira Kreft.

Steel prices continued to rally last month on the back of repeated mill price increases after tags reached a 2023 low of $645 per ton in late September. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended November at an average of $923 per ton ($46.15 per cwt), rising by $140 per ton during the month. The SMU Price […]

Prices of steelmaking raw materials are largely up over the over the last 30 days, as they were the month prior, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis.

Turkish scrap import prices increased for a third consecutive week.

SMU gives an overview of the steel market and economic indicators for October.

Steel prices continued to decline last month – a trend we’ve seen repeated since mid-April.

Steel prices kept falling throughout last month. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended August at $725 per ton ($36.25 per cwt) on average, having fallen by $105 per ton during the month.

SMU senior analyst David Schollert provides an overview of steel market indicators for the month of July.

Steel prices continued to erode in June, a trend that began halfway through April. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended June at $875 per ton (43.75 per cwt) on average, falling by $115 per ton throughout the month. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products remained shifted to Neutral halfway through June, after turning Lower […]

Domestic hot band prices are rolling downhill at a rate that looks to be accelerating. As SMU managing editor Michael Cowden pointed out in Tuesday night’s Final Thoughts, present dynamics are eerily like what we saw last summer. And we all know where that led us: to a low of $615 per ton ($30.75 per […]

I wanted a fresh perspective on the steel market this week, so I turned to a new voice – namely, ChatGPT. I won’t weigh in on whether the AI-driven chatbot is a useful tool, an extinction-level threat, or just another shiny object. That said, ChatGPT has been available publicly since Nov. 30, 2022. And it […]

Steel prices continued to erode in May, following a trend that began halfway through the previous month. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices ended May at $990 per ton ($49.50 per cwt) on average, falling by $130 per ton throughout the month. The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products remained Lower during May after shifting to […]